Five Years in the Life
by caffinate-me
Summary: 5th in the Numbers Series. Five Years. Five Christmases. Two Lives. One Story. In a city as large as New York it is amazing how two lives could become intertwined so deeply without either person knowing it.
1. Chapter 1

Five Years in the Life

Disclaimer: Let me check... nope, still not mine.

A/N: Fifth in the Numbers Series. Five Years. Five Christmases. One Life. One Story.

As always, you all rock my socks. Reviews are love and Happy Sol-chrisma-kwanz-ukkah. (That is Solstice, Christmas, Kwanza & Hanukkah in case you needed a translation). lol. :)

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><p>Chapter 1.<p>

Five year-old Katie Beckett peered through the cracked doorway into her parent's bedroom. It was still dark outside but she didn't care. She had to know. She pushed open the door and crept through the room quietly, her cape, which she had made out of a yellow pillowcase and a clothespin flapped quietly behind her, falling down her back and hitting the back of her tight covered legs. She had on a red tank top and red leggings with green bloomers on over top of them. She was Christmas Girl today.

Katie crawled up on the bed and stood in between her sleeping parents bouncing slightly until they started to groan and she saw her mom's eyes blink open.

"Katie, sweetie, what are you doing? I know it is Christmas but it is five in the morning. You need to go back to sleep," Johanna Beckett mumbled as Katie dropped to her hands and knees and crawled up from the foot of the bed to lay her head on the pillow beside her mother's.

"I need to know and I am Christmas Girl so you have to tell the truth."

Johanna rubbed her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows as she stared down at her daughter. She glanced over at her sleeping husband and lifted a hand to nudge his shoulder. "Jim, both your daughter and I are awake, you have to be up too."

Jim groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes to meet his daughter's green ones staring back at him. "What time is it?"

"Five AM, Katie has a question and since she is Christmas Girl today we have to tell her the truth," Johanna summarized for her sleepy husband.

Jim yawned and shot out an arm to grab Kate and pull her into his side, taking in the sight of her superhero costume as he did. "What's on your mind, Katie Bear, that couldn't wait until the sun is up?"

"Is Santa real? And remember you have to tell the truth because that is my superpower. People have to tell me the truth."

Jim looked down at his daughter who was lying on the bed staring up at him with her big green eyes, her brown curly hair flying out across the pillow. He glanced up at his wife who was sitting up against the headboard. The two women had the same smattering of freckles scattered over their noses. Johanna just stared down at him, the small smile threatening her face as she told him with a look that she was so glad he was the one that got stuck with that question and it wasn't her turn.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because Jimmy Collins said that he wasn't real and we don't have a fireplace so there is no way he could have gotten into our apartment. All of the windows are closed and locked. I checked. Plus, reindeer can't fly. They don't have wings."

Jim closed his eyes as Johanna suppressed a laugh. Why did their daughter have to be so smart?

He opened his eyes and stared down at his daughter who was snuggled into his side, looking up at him expectantly. Waiting for his answer. His truth. Jim sighed, she was right she did have a super power. There was no way he could lie to her.

"No, Katie Bear, Santa isn't real."

He and Johanna watched as their daughter processed the information and nodded her head in acceptance. They both waited. There would be more questions.

"So, if Santa isn't real, then who's lap did I sit in?"

Johanna laughed out loud and Jim chuckled as ran a hand over his face. It was too early for this. "That is a very good question. People dress up like Santa for Christmas so kids can tell them their wishes."

Katie stared up at him, her eyebrows raised up towards her hairline, eyes wide. "So you just let me sit in a stranger's lap? That's creepy Daddy."

This time Jim burst out laughing as Johanna nearly rolled off of the bed in a fit of giggles as Katie turned her head back and forth staring at both of them.

"Why is that so funny?"

"Oh, Katie, you're right. That is kind of creepy."

Johanna caught her breath and straightened up in the bed as she ran a hand over her daughter's hair. "Do you have any more questions, sweetie?"

"One more Mommy. Will I still get presents even though I know Santa isn't real?"

She stared down at Kate. "Of course, baby. A smart sweet girl like you will always get presents."

Johanna climbed out of bed and waited as Katie got up to jump into her mother's outstretched arms. "You just have to remember that Christmas isn't just about getting presents. It's about giving, too. You're a very lucky girl Katie- you have a house and toys and two parents that love you so so much. Some kids don't have that."

"And that's why we picked out the toys for the Angel Tree," Katie finished as her mother carried her back to her room and set her down on her own bed, pinching the clothespin and cape off from around her neck.

"Exactly. You are such a smart girl. I love you. Now go back to sleep. We will open presents when the sun is up. Okay?"

"Okay Mommy. I love you, too. Always and forever," Katie replied a she snuggled back down under the covers.

"Always and forever," Johanna repeated as she pulled the door shut behind her, leaving it cracked so the light in the hallway could filter in.

"Is she okay?" Jim asked as Johanna crawled back into bed.

"Of course she is, she's Kate."

Jim chuckled as he pulled his wife down into his arms. "Yeah, I know. How did we create something that extraordinary?"

Johanna grinned into the grey Christmas morning. "I have no idea, but I have the feeling this is not the last time we will be asking ourselves that question. Our little superhero."


	2. Chapter 2

Five Years in the Life

A/N: So, I got inspired and I didn't have to go to work today because I hurt my foot so you get a 2-for. Yay! Anyway, here is chapter 2. Enjoy and remember, reviews are love! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 2. <span>

She stared in the mirror, her jeans slung low over her lack of hips and her training bra covering her chest. Training bra. She was the only fifteen year-old girl in her school that didn't need an actual bra yet. Debbie Jackson had double D's. Stupid Debbie Jackson. Kate drew her face closer to the mirror and gritted her teeth, baring her braces. She let out a puff of air and her fringe of bangs blew up. She brought a hand up to pat them back down over her forehead. Then, she pushed them back up inspecting her forehead and brow. There were little bumps on her skin from where the hairspray caused her to get pimples. Her eyebrows were okay, though, and she was the only person she knew who could lift only one at a time. She turned her head from side to side watching as her eyes stayed still. They flickered from green to hazel to brown. Cool. She crinkled her nose and giggled as the freckles on her skin scrunched up. She lifted a purple polished nail up to scratch at a zit on her cheek and turned away from the mirror.

Kate sighed and pulled her teal turtleneck sweater down over her head. Dropping down to her knees, she crawled under the bed to grab the knit hat, which had gotten kicked under there days before and dusted it off before pulling it over her long hair. Turning to her closet, she debated between a pair of her favorite broken in Converse and the chunky heeled boots she and her mother had picked out a couple of weeks before. She stared at the black leather boots for a few minutes. They made her really tall and she felt powerful wearing them but they were so high- a whole two and a half inches. Her ankles hurt when she wore them and she walked weird. Maybe next week, after she practiced with them in her room for a while, she decided as she picked up the trusty sneakers.

"Mom! Dad! I'm going out." She yelled across the apartment as she gathered up her jacket, scarf and gloves. She pulled her wallet out of her purse. She had twenty dollars. Perfect.

"Oh, Katie," Johanna yelled from the office. "Can you take the presents to the drop box when you go? The note says they want them in by the fifteenth and that's tomorrow."

"Mom! What did I tell you?" Kate called back, exasperated. She hated being called Katie. She was far too old for the little-girl nickname.

"Oh, I am so sorry, _Katherine_, can you please take the presents to the drop box?" Her mother responded to the teenager, the teasing nature evident in her voice.

"Sure, Mom. No problem," Kate said, gathering up the unwrapped gifts from the counter.

"Tell Maddie I say 'hi' and be back by nine, okay? Love you!"

"Yes, Mother. Love you, too." Kate rolled her eyes as she opened the door and made her way into the hall. Parents.

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><p>"My mom says hi," Kate told Maddie as the two girls made their way down the sidewalk towards the drop off for the Angel Kids.<p>

"Hi, Mom," Maddie replied with a small grin.

"I'll tell her you said so."

Kate placed the gifts in the box and the two turned towards the coffee house across the street. The smell of roasting beans made Kate smile as she dragged her best friend across the street.

"Kate, you hate coffee. Why do you always insist on coming here?" Maddie asked as she watched Kate hand the cashier some money in exchange for her hot chocolate.

"It smells so good. Plus, the atmosphere is cool," Kate argued as she took in the ambiance of the bohemian style coffee house.

"You are so weird."

Kate just shrugged her shoulders at the comment. The coffee house _was_ cool and it was full of college students. It made her feel older just being in their presence. She couldn't wait to get to college and to be a grown up. Being twenty would be awesome. She was sure of it.

"So, what did you ask Santa for this year?" Maddie nudged her shoulder teasingly as they made their way back to the street.

"Boobs." Kate shot back, straight faced.

Maddie barked out a laugh, throwing back her head. "Are you serious?"

"Yup. Wrote him a letter and everything. 'Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl this year. All I would like for Christmas are some really nice breasts.' I considered going to see the Santa at Rockefeller Center as reassurance but decided it would be a bad idea. Sitting on some man's lap asking for boobs would just be creepy."

Maddie had stopped to lean against a building and was bent over in a fit of laughter and Kate rolled her eyes at the other girl. "Come on Mads. Comicadia has a new comic I want."

Maddie sucked in a deep breath and shook her head as she followed Kate down the street. Her friend was so weird. There weren't even any cute boys at comic book stores.

Kate browsed through the bins until she found the book she was looking for and paused to look around for a minute before heading to the cash register. A rack in the center of the store caught her attention and she wandered over to it.

"Hey, Jimmy?" She called to her friend behind the counter. "Why do you have a novel in here?"

"Oh, he used to shop in here all the time so when he got his first novel published we agreed to carry a few copies. You know, for the holiday season," Jimmy Collins replied as he wandered over to stand by Kate's side.

Kate reached out and ran her fingers over the cover _A Rose for Ever After._

"Richard Castle," she murmured, seemingly mesmerized by the book.

She flipped the book open to the back cover. Sixteen dollars. She had just enough money if she put back the comic. Her eyes flickered down to the author profile and picture. He was cute, too. She blushed as she closed the hardback, looked down at the Sin City book in her hand then back at the novel again. Swiftly she placed the comic back in its bin and plucked the novel off of the rack.

"I'll take it."

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><p>"I can't believe you just spent the rest of your money on a book. We were going to go to the movies," Maddie whined as the pair made their way down the sidewalk once more.<p>

"Sorry Mads. I have to get home anyway. I promised Mom I'd be back by dinner." Kate shrugged as the lie rolled smoothly off of her tongue and she bit her lip.

"Whatever. I'll see you later." Maddie huffed as she leaned over to give her friend a hug before continuing on across the crosswalk with a wave.

Kate turned the corner and made her way back to the coffee house. She still had a couple of dollars and the book was calling to her.

Kate thanked the barista as she accepted her second cup of the day and made her way to an overstuffed chair as she sniffed the contents of the cup. Vanilla latte. She raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip. The bitter liquid hit her tongue and she shrugged. It wasn't half bad. Maybe she could get used to coffee stuff after all, at least every once in awhile. She reached down and picked up her Christmas present to herself.

She lifted her legs up and folded them in the chair, flipping the novel open to rest on her lap as she took another sip of the coffee. "Okay, Richard Castle. Let's see what you've got."

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><p>AN: I think A Rose for Ever After was Castle's first book, or at least one of his first ones. I'm sorry if I got that wrong, but the timing seemed to work. If Kate was 15 then Castle was about 21-22. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Five Years in the Life

A/N: Once again, thank you all for reading! I really hope you all are enjoying these little stories. Fair warning- there is a very good chance you will cry during this one. But I hope you like it and remember, reviews are love! :)

BTW: I totally uploaded two chapters yesterday, so go back and read chapter 2 if you missed it. It is adorable, if I may say so myself. I really liked writing 15 year-old Kate, she's quirky and snarky. lol.

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><p><span>Chapter 3. <span>

Twenty year-old Kate tipped the bottle back into her mouth, letting the few remaining drops of vodka burn their way down her throat. Her mother was dead. Her father was God knows where and not answering his phone. She ran her fingers over the cover of the book in her lap absent-mindedly. It was habit now, a calming gesture, like his books would give her strength to get through this. Kate swayed slightly as the alcohol made her feel like she was floating away. It was two in the afternoon but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything. The semester was over— her first semester at NYU, her first semester as a criminal justice major. She didn't have anything to focus on anymore- no textbooks, tests or papers to get lost in. Now, she had time to think about her dead mother, her suddenly absent father and the giant gaping hole that her life had fallen into over the course of the last few months. She was tumbling down a rabbit hole and she wasn't quite sure where she would end up.

Kate sighed as she looked down at the glossy book cover. She had bought it for herself as an end of semester gift. She didn't even want to think about Christmas this year, so it wasn't a Christmas present, it was a 'congratulations for surviving the worst year of your life' present. She could deal with that. She ran a hand through her hair as she sat on the ratty couch in the middle of her dark apartment. She hadn't bothered to turn on the lights when she got up this morning. What was the point? She hadn't changed out of her pajamas or brushed her hair, why should she turn on the lights? She had simply gotten up, poured herself a bowl of cornflakes and grabbed the bottle of vodka out of the freezer. The cornflakes now sat untouched as a bowl of mush on the table and the bottle of vodka was empty. Merry Christmas to her.

Her eyes drifted over to the white paper angel that lay on the table. She had picked it off of the tree out of habit a couple of days before as she had shopped for the few remaining Christmas presents on her list. She had memorized the information.

Sofia. Age 8. Likes board games, roller skates and superheroes. Purple is her favorite color.

Kate uncurled herself from the couch and bent over to pick up the little Angel Tree ornament. She sighed and tilted her head to the side as she stared at the name. Purple had been her favorite color, too. That's why she had picked the little girl: purple and superheroes.

The hot water burned away the alcoholic haze as Kate leaned against the cold tile wall of the shower. She scrubbed the shampoo into her scalp and rubbed the soap over her face. Her eyes focused more as the swaying eased. She groaned as she felt the headache start. She really had to stop drinking like this. It wasn't healthy. She was already worried about her dad and how much he had been drinking lately. She didn't need to do the same thing to herself. Spinning off the knobs, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. Pausing in front of the mirror she used her hand to wipe away the steam and looked at the young woman staring back at her. Her hair had gotten long. It was plastered to her shoulders and the sides of her face as little drops of water fell down her back and got absorbed into the towel. The freckles on her nose had faded over the past couple of years and if she was wearing make up she couldn't even see them anymore. Kate ran a finger over the bridge of her nose and bit her bottom lip gently. She stared into the mirror and drew in a breath, steeling herself. She could do this. She could get dressed and go to the store. She could buy presents for little Sofia and put them in the Angel Kids drop box just like every year. She could put on her jacket and walk around the city in her leather boots with the impossibly tall heels. She could keep on living even though her mother was dead.

She could do this. She could make herself care.

Everyone needed a superhero sometimes. Maybe this year she could be Sofia's and Sofia could be hers.

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><p>Kate paused to lean against the rail and stare at the tree in Rockefeller Center. The lights twinkled and danced in the hazy grey pink and orange dusk of the city. She had left little Sofia's gifts in the drop box on the corner. She had gone a little bit overboard and had bought everything for the girl: three board games, a manicure and pedicure kit with bright purple sparkly nail polish, a pair of awesome bright green and purple roller skates and a stack of new comic books. She was flat broke now but she didn't care. At least Sofia would have a good Christmas.<p>

She lifted the vanilla latte to take a sip. The scalding fluid burnt her lips and would leave little blisters on the roof of her mouth. Her tongue felt raw as the burning liquid ripped away layers of her skin. She sighed and took another sip. At least she was feeling something. She stared at the lights. She and her mother had come here every year to just stare at the tree. All three of them: she, her mother and father would go ice-skating at the beginning of the season when the rink was first opened every year. Well except for that one time when she was seventeen, but she tried not to think about that. She had been a bitch and if she had known… if she had only known… She would have been better.

"I promise, Mom. I didn't know…" Kate whispered to the tree. "I am so sorry. I promise, I didn't know."

The tears spilled from her eyes once again as she stared at the tree twinkling happily in front of her. If she had known her mother was going to die she wouldn't have pushed them away in her stupid fight for teenage independence. She would have pulled them closer and held on for as long as she could have. She would have stayed in New York instead of fighting for space and independence in California. She would have cherished every single moment.

A giggle pulled Kate from her memory and she swiped a hand across her face and brought her coffee up to her lips once more as she turned her head to see a small red headed girl wrapped around a man's back, arms clinging to his neck as he gave her a piggy back ride.

Kate stared at the pair. He looked very familiar. Blue eyes, brown hair, soft impish smile. She could have sworn she knew him from somewhere.

"Please Daddy!" The little girl pleaded. "Can we go see Santa?"

"Alexis," the man responded teasing her by trying to turn around in a circle to see her, swinging the girl wildly behind him as he jerked around. "Wait! Where did you go? Stop moving."

Alexis began giggling uncontrollably at her father's antics.

"Daddy," She chastised softly and Kate smiled through her tears. They were cute.

The father bent his knees so his daughter could slide off of his back and reached around to grab her hand.

"Alexis you don't even believe in Santa anymore why do you want to go see him?"

Alexis shuffled her feet a little and looked down at the ground. "I want to ask him to bring Mommy home for Christmas."

Kate sucked in a breath ad turned back towards the railing, coffee up by her face in an attempt to hide her expression.

"Oh sweetie, Mommy has to work that's why she can't come home for Christmas."

"But that's stupid. You don't have to work on Christmas. Gram doesn't either."

"I know sweetie but Mommy lives very far away and she just can't come this year. How about this, when we get home we will call her, okay?"

"Plus, you don't want to sit on Santa's lap anyway," the man continued as he kneeled down to straighten his daughters jacket and pulled her hat down over her eyes.

"Why not?"

Kate mumbled a response and grinned as the same words passed through the man's lips at the same time. "Because it is just creepy."

Alexis giggled again as she pushed up her hat with mitten covered hands, uncovering her eyes again. "It's not creepy Daddy. It's magical!"

Kate smiled and the man laughed as his daughter threw her arms out so she could spin in circles, taking in the spirit of Christmas.

She watched as the man bent down and the girl climbed on his back once again and they took off down the street. She turned back towards the tree after they disappeared and drew in a deep breath, sipping at her quickly cooling drink. The lights twinkled and danced as the sun faded from sight and darkness fell over the city. She felt a warmth radiating from colorful bulb ornaments and she lifted her gaze to stare at the angel shining down on her from the top of the tree.

"I love you, Mom," She whispered as she stared up winged figure glowing in the night sky. "Always and forever."


	4. Chapter 4

Five Years in the Life

Chapter 4

"Oh, come on Tommy, just admit it. You killed her. You stuffed her body in the trunk of your car, you drove to the club, you dumped the body and then you tried to get rid of any evidence that you actually knew her. But you didn't do such a good job now did you, Tommy?"

Detective Kate Beckett leaned over the interrogation table, getting as close to the suspect, Tomas Gibson, as she dared. Her arms were braced against the plastic table and she was close enough to smell his sweat and see the flicker of panic in his eyes. She let a small, feral grin cross her face. She had him.

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about and my name is Thomas. Stop calling me Tommy," he spat the words at her. Kate smiled again, this time facing the mirror, giving the boys on the other side a tiny wink. He was starting to get agitated, fidgeting in his seat. Small beads of sweat formed at his receding hairline and he pulled at the collar of his red button down shirt.

Slowly, she nodded her head as she made her way to the empty wooded chair sitting on the opposite side of the interrogation table from Gibson. She took her time, giving him the chance to stew. She tilted her head to the side and tapped her pen on the table a couple of times, observing him. Giving him the chance to observe her.

"You see, Tommy, I have a kind of super power," Kate spoke softly, dangerously, as she stared at him, her eyes never wavering from his. Steel. "I can tell when people are lying to me. Right now, Tommy, you are lying. And _Tommy, _I don't like it when people lie- it just makes my life and job that much more difficult."

Kate sighed and let out a soft smile as the other detectives clapped her on the back and offered their congratulations on breaking the suspect; her first suspect. It hadn't been her first interrogation since becoming a detective but it had been her first solo one. That's right boys, Kate Beckett could hold her own.

She sat quietly, methodically filling out lines in the stack of paperwork on her desk as her colleagues filed out around her, wishing her and everyone else a Merry Christmas. It was five o'clock on Christmas Eve and while everyone else was leaving to have dinner with their families and loved ones, twenty-six year old newly promoted Detective Kate Beckett sat at her desk with a stack of paperwork that could wait until the after the holiday. She gazed out the window as the elevator bell dinged from the last of the detectives leaving and watched as the lights twinkled in the city below. She had always loved the lights. Still did. As a little girl she would drag her parents around the city for hours just to stare at them. They reminded her of stars— the stars that never shown in the city.

Her pen tapped gently against the small Christmas tree on her desk as she looked at her father's too large watch, which wrapped around her wrist, in surprise. It was eight o'clock and she had only managed to fill out a whole page and a half of paperwork. With a sigh she gathered up her coat and gloves. Her back and knees cracked as she stood from her chair. Sometime around twenty-five her body had changed. Now things cracked and popped that hadn't done that before. Wasn't your body supposed to wait until forty to fall apart? She sighed. She had started to get low-fat, sugar-free drinks also even though they didn't taste nearly as good. As she got closer to thirty it had gotten harder to keep that little spare tire from appearing around her middle. Part of her wished back to when she was fifteen and thin as a rail— no hips to speak of and she could eat anything and still only loose weight. Her back cracked once more as she bent over to open the bottom drawer of her desk and pull out the book lying on top of some file folders. Her gaze hesitated for a moment on files before she slammed the drawer shut. Not today. She wiggled her shoulders and cracked her neck. It was nothing a glass of wine and a hot bath wouldn't fix.

The latest Derek Storm novel had been released a week before and Kate stood in line for hours to get it signed. She had never done anything like this before- swooned over a celebrity, biting her lip as she gave him her name and watched as he signed it and handed it back to her with a kind smile. She had wanted to tell him what his book meant to her, how they literally had helped her through so many hard times, how they had practically saved her life, but she couldn't. It would lose something in the translation. It would become trivial. So, instead she had breathed back the tears that had threatened as waited in the line and memories of her mother came in waves, stood there silently as he signed and mumbled out a thank you as she took the book back. She had imagined that little jolt of electricity that had passed through their hands as their fingers had brushed accidentally. She had. Really. It had only been her imagination.

Snow had started to fall over the city sometime during the day and Kate couldn't help it as the lyrics of _I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas_ started to pass through her brain. She shook her head, attempting to dislodge the annoying earworm. Instead she found herself mumbling along with the lyrics. She paused and bit her lip as her favorite coffee shop came into view. They were still open. She glanced down at the book clutched to her chest and back at the door. The inviting warmth of central heating and the delightful aroma of roasted coffee beans only held back by a thin piece of glass. She could indulge in a cup of coffee, it wasn't _that _late and it wasn't like she was planning on sleeping anyway. She hadn't even started the book yet and she would probably stay up all night reading. There was something about the worlds of Derek Storm and Richard Castle that she couldn't help but get sucked into and wrapped up in. She would loose all sense of time and the rest of the world would just melt away for hours.

Her fingers wrapped around the door handle and she took in a deep breath. A small smile fluttered across her face as she took in the smell of coffee, cinnamon and vanilla. She loved coffee— the smell, the taste, the feel of the hot liquid on her tongue, burning its way down her throat. How could someone not like it? It didn't make sense to her.

"Large non-fat latte, two pumps sugar-free vanilla," she rattled off to the barista. It was her traditional Richard Castle drink. The first time she had read one of his books was the first time she'd had a vanilla latte. Somewhere along the way it had stuck. Now, she would only have that drink with one of his books. She smiled at her own silly tradition. Somehow it seemed right— like they were the two things in her life that were meant to go together: Richard Castle and vanilla lattes.

She debated whether she should take a bath as she dropped her bag and kicked off her shoes by the door in her apartment. The heat was going full force and the coffee had warmed her insides, relaxing the tense muscles in her back and neck. She unwound her scarf and shrugged off her jacket, throwing them over the back of a chair as she made her way to the bedroom. Her hair tumbled down in waves as she pulled the pins out of the bun at the nape of her neck. It was getting really long now, the ends almost brushing her waist. She had been debating cutting it, making it more professional. The bath and wine could wait until later she decided. Now, she wanted to read.

Dressed in a pair of Christmas pajama pants— flannel, covered in dancing reindeer, and a red tank top, Kate flopped back on her couch and snuggled under a fuzzy throw blanket. She wrapped the corners around her shoulders and folded the edges around her lap until only her sock covered feet stuck out the bottom. She reached over and grabbed the cardboard cup and book off of the table, juggling them carefully in an attempt not to spill the steaming liquid on the precious book while still keeping the blanket wrapped around her body. She was cozy and air hitting her skin now would ruin the cocoon she had built for herself.

Her fingers ran gently over the glossy cover. She traced the words gently. It was a tradition, a ritual. Holding her breath, she flipped open the cover to the title page. She hadn't read what he had written yet. She had held off. She was nervous and she didn't know why. She didn't have a reason to be, it was not like she even knew the man or he knew her. Sure, she subscribed to one (or three) of his fan sites and she might have a _slight_ crush on him, but that didn't matter. She was twenty-six years old for God sakes. She was an adult and she was a detective. She could read what he had scribbled in her book.

"Kate, don't look so sad. Everything will be all right in the end, remember Derek Storm always get's his guy. Richard Castle."

Kate smiled at the words. Derek Storm always got his guy and so did Kate Beckett. She could do it; she could get her guy. Everything would be all right in the end.

Tomorrow she would get up and meet her father at the diner. They would talk and exchange gifts. He would proudly show her his two-year sobriety coin, which she would give him a hug for. She would tell him that she was so proud of him. They would chat over their eggs and bacon. Maybe she would have pancakes. They would talk about memories of her mother and they would both be sad but happy at the same time. Good memories only. She would cart along her bright, awesomely tacky green ice skates and talk him into going to Rockefeller with her. It was a tradition after all.

Then, the day after she would get up and go to work. She would finish her paperwork and she would stay late to look over the file folder that she had stored in her bottom drawer- the file that no one else ever saw, the file her father didn't know she still had. She would allow herself to fall down the rabbit hole a little bit farther, to spin a little bit more out of control, but not enough so that she couldn't find her way back. Just like Derek Storm, she would solve her mother's murder and she would get her guy. But that later. For now, she would get lost in the wonderful words of Richard Castle and let herself float away.

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><p>AN: So I hope you all enjoyed chapter 4! There are two different ways I could go with this. I could write chapter 5 (Christmas 2012) and be done, or I could go back and write chapters from Castle's perspective for these 4 Christmases and then write the 2012 Christmas. Let me know what you think- it is all dependent on what you all say. As always, you all rock and reviews are love! I am now off to see the awesome Christmas lights down town. Have a good night you all!


	5. Chapter 5

Five Years in the Life. 

Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, so by popular demand here is Richard Castle Christmas age 21. ;) This story is now going to be 8 chapters long and hopefully, between work, friends and family, I will have it done by Christmas. lol.

Yes, I know I messed up A Rose for Ever After was Castle's second book… but I'm just going to ignore that little tidbit of information and pretend like it was his 1st. Let's just call it a creative license. Lol. Oh, and I apologize if I get any of the ages wrong, but I figured that Castle would have been about 21-22 during this time.

Okay, now on with chapter 5. Thank you all for your responses to chapter 4 and I am so happy you love the story and want it longer! Remember, as always, reviews are love! :)

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><p>Twenty-one year-old Richard Castle ran a hand through his hair. She was pregnant. Meredith was pregnant. That wasn't supposed to happen. He had just broken up with Kierra. Meredith was a rebound. They weren't even married or really dating. Well, they had been out on a couple of dates but that wasn't <em>dating<em> dating. It was well, it was kind of dating. Casual, nothing serious, dating. But a baby? A baby was very serious. Rick ran a hand through his hair again. He would marry her. That was the right thing to do, the honorable thing. He had money now; he had published a book. He was young but he could support a family. He had a family now.

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and his eyes grew wide as hurried holiday shoppers cursed and skittered to avoid him. Oh, God. He had a family.

Rick looked around from where he was paused. He was outside of his favorite comic book store. He had a baby on the way and he was about to buy an engagement ring for a woman he barely knew but he wasn't too old for comic books, was he? He would never be too old for comic books. He would make sure of it.

Rick swung open the door to Comicadia and shivered as the warm air hit his freezing skin. It was the same as it has always been: the smell of ink and paper, the pimply fresh-faced teenaged boys digging through bins of comics. It was like coming home. He looked around the shop for a minute and let his gaze linger on the rack of books on display in the middle of the sale's floor. His chest puffed out in pride when he saw them. His book. He had written a book, it had been published and people were buying it. Would it be okay for him to squeal in delight? No, probably not. Instead, he settled on meandering over to the corner and checking out the newest Batman books. That way he could blend into the background and be inconspicuous as he kept an eye on his display.

Observing people wasn't creepy; it was research.

He glanced around the store and his gaze landed on a blonde girl standing in the corner by the door. He hadn't noticed her when he had walked in, but he was guessing that was the point. She was standing, shrunken into the corner studying her nails. It was like she was trying not to be seen. She was here with someone, Rick deduced, someone who had dragged her here. He continued to look around and his eyes landed on a tall, lanky girl who was looking through a bin of comics. Bingo. That had to be the blonde girl's friend. Girls always traveled in pairs or packs.

Rick watched as the tall brunette paused in front of his display of books and called Jimmy, the kid who worked behind the counter, over. They talked for a minute and the girl, Kate, Jimmy had called her, put back the comic and replaced it with his book. He puffed out his chest a little bit more. She may not be his target audience, but a sale was a sale, right? He watched as the girl paid and the blonde practically dragged her out of the store. Rick smiled, yup, the blonde girl was definitely not the comic book type.

After debating for a minute, Rick picked up a stack of comics and made his way to the register. He stopped at the counter and looked at Jimmy as the boy completely ignored him and continued to stare after the girls who had just left. The teenager let out a soft sigh causing Rick to laugh. Jimmy was at that awkward stage- caught somewhere between boy and man. His hand and feet were a little bit too big for the rest of his skinny body and his sandy brown hair stuck up at weird angles even though it was evident he had tried to fix it. He was geeky but cute at the same time. Rick shook his head. He didn't miss being a teenager- that awkward middle ground.

His hand came down to clap Jimmy on the shoulder as the boy continued to stare off into space, effectively shaking the boy out of his daze.

"Hey, Jimmy! What's up? Who you staring at?"

"Rick, hey! I didn't see you there," Jimmy blushed slightly as he tore his gaze away from the closing door. "Oh, that was Kate."

Rick started slightly, he would have guessed the boy would be staring after the blonde not the brunette, and chuckled as he took in Jimmy's love struck look. "You like her?"

"Like her? I love her! She's perfect. She's extraordinary!"

Rick looked at the boy and then back towards the empty doorway. "The brunette? Really? Her? No offense, kiddo, but unless she pulls an ugly duckling somewhere along the way, you could definitely do better. What about her friend? The blonde? She was cute."

"Madison? No way man, Madison is a complete bitch. She would never even look at a guy like me. But Kate, oh man, she is smart and funny and her eyes… did you see her eyes?"

Rick watched as the dreamy look crossed the teenager's face. The kid had it bad. "Well, why don't you ask her out?"

Jimmy looked up at him and panic flashed across his face.

"Ask her out?" Jimmy's voice cracked as it raised an octave. "I, um, I don't think I can do that."

Rick clapped him on the shoulder again as he gathered up the bag with his newly purchased items. "Trust me, kid, when you like someone as much as you like this Kate girl, you should just ask them out. You don't want to miss the moment and end up waiting until it is too late. You may end up regretting it for the rest of your life if you don't. If she really is as extraordinary as you say she is, you just need to grab hold of her and never let go."

Jimmy nodded and gulped causing Rick to let out another chuckle. "See you around Jimmy. Good luck. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Rick."

Young, fresh-faced, arguably ruggedly handsome, Richard Castle wrapped his jacket tighter around his body as he made his way down the street towards the jewelry store. He may not have a "Kate" in his life— someone he thought the world turn for, like Jimmy did, but he did have a baby on the way. He sighed and let a small smile grace his face. He had a baby on the way; an extraordinary little baby and that he needed to hold onto. He had to hold on and never let go. He could do this. He had his Batman comics and he was about to buy a ring. Maybe on the way home he would buy a pair of booties.

"Merry Christmas, Richard Castle," he murmured to himself as he pulled open the door to the jewelry shop. "You are about to be a husband and father."


	6. Chapter 6

Five Years in the Life

A/N: Sorry, this one is sort of short. I started writing the year from where Kate was 20 from Castle's perspective but I didn't like it so I deleted it. In any case here is Kate age 26, Castle age 33 (approx). Only four more shopping days and chapter Christmas 2012 to go! If you're lucky I might throw in a bonus chapter ;). Let me know what you think! Remember, reviews are love! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

Richard Castle held back a sigh as he reached for the next book. It wasn't that hated book signings, because he didn't. In fact he loved them: the fans swarming around him, the women tittering and mooning. It was exhilarating. It was a high. It was amazing. At Christmas time he even dared to call it magical. Now, here it was, a week before Christmas and his latest book was already on the top of the best seller's list. Merry Christmas to him. But truth be told, he was starting to get tired of it all. He was starting to get bored. He handed the book back with a smile and a quip about something as his eyes roamed over the next few people in line. There were a couple of giggling co-eds, a mousy looking housewife, a hot housewife, a guy and a woman. His eyes landed on the woman and for a few seconds, which seemed to draw on forever, he couldn't drag his gaze away. She looked so sad. She was clutching his book to her chest like it was her only lifeline and he could tell by the drawn out rise and fall of her chest that she was trying not to cry. She was beautiful with her brown hair hanging softly around her face and falling down her back in waves. He took the next book distractedly as the woman brought her thumb up to her mouth and began to chew on her nail. She was nervous. It was cute.

The next few people seemed slowly as Rick flexed his fingers and rubbed the back of his neck before planting on another smile and lifting his head to look at his next fan. The saccharine smile fell and a truly soft tilt of his lips replaced it as he saw the brunette standing before him.

"Hi." His voice caught in his throat so it came out at barely above a whisper as he stared up at her from his place seated at the table. He held up his hand in a tiny wave and she blushed slightly as she realized that she was still clutching the book to her chest. Slowly her arms unwound and she held out the book for him to sign.

"Hey." Her reply was barely more audible than his and he could see her draw in another breath, like she wanted to say more but something was stopping her.

"What's your name?"

"Kate."

Rick nodded and his smile widened as he glanced up at her once again, his pen now poised over the first page of the still perfectly crisp book.

"Is that short for Katherine?"

The woman, Kate nodded and drew her bottom in between her teeth. It was adorable.

"It s a beautiful name; a strong one. I've always loved it," He murmured as he bent his head over the page.

"Then why have you never named one of your characters Katherine?"

The question was soft and it caught Rick off guard. He had never named one of his characters Katherine and the only way she would have known that is if she had read all of his books. He smiled. She blushed. She knew what she had just given away.

"I don't know, I guess none of them have ever been good enough."

He looked up as he handed the book back to her and their fingers brushed accidently as she reached out to take it. He felt a jolt of electricity flow through him; his fingers tingling as hers closed around them. Blue eyes met green ones and his world stopped for a moment. He could see everything: pain, strength, vulnerability, mirth, sadness, and hope all wrapped up in a flicker. Hope. Her fingers pulled away as the book slipped out of his now limp grasp. He wanted to reach out a grab her, tell her not to go. He wanted to know, he needed to know everything about her. What she wouldn't or couldn't say. She was magic, she was extraordinary, but he couldn't move.

"Thank you," her voice mumbled out of her and he could hear everything behind it, everything she hadn't said before.

He stared after her as she walked back towards the door, towards the bustling city and the sea of strangers with his book once again clutched against her chest. His heart pounded his chest and he forced himself to swallow the breath he had been holding. She turned back to look over her shoulder and their eyes locked once more. He tried to say with a look what his voice had failed in him a moment before.

_You're welcome, Kate. I hope you find the strength to continue being extraordinary. _

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><p>Richard Castle met thousands of people a day walking the streets of New York City. Most he never spoke too, barely even acknowledged as he passed them by on the sidewalks and shared his personal space with them in elevators. He would never see them again, and if he did chances are he would never remember them. Staring after Kate that day, with a line of fans waiting for him to make their dreams come true, his wifepublisher standing behind him having a heated conversation with someone on the other end of her phone, and his daughter curled up reading in corner of the bookstore somewhere, everything else fell away. He tried to memorize her: the lines of her cheek bones, her long legs, flowing hair, the way her fingers curled around the spine of the book. He tried to remember her so that the next time he saw her in the city he would know who she was. He tried to remember but as he was forced to pull his attention back to the line and next book, as the rocks in his marriage became more and more apparent, as his daughter laughed as they tore open presents and ran around the house playing whatever silly game they had created that week, the woman slipped from his mind and back into the sea of New Yorkers. Another face, another body, another fan.

Somewhere, over the course of the next year, as writers block took over, Derek Storm became just another character, and his marriage ended he stared at the blank page in front of him. He wanted to write about someone strong, someone haunted, but the words wouldn't come. Something was wrong; there was something missing. He typed the name over and over, Katherine, but he drew a blank. There was no context, nothing more than a fleeting jolt; a want, a need to write about a woman, a woman he didn't know. He sighed as he sat at his desk in his bathrobe and stared at the cursor blinking on the blank document.

He was missing something extraordinary.


	7. Chapter 7

Five Years in the Life

A/N: Here is the official end of Five Years in the Life. I hope you have enjoyed this little holiday story. As always, the preview of the next installment- Four Letter Words- is at the end of this chapter. I do have an idea for a bonus chapter for this story (year 2017) if you all are interested. Let me know. As always, you all are awesome and I love to hear from you. Reviews are love!

Merry Christmas everyone! (if you don't celebrate Christmas, please don't take offense, I merely want to wish you well!) :)

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><p><span>Chapter 7: Christmas 2012<span>

"I can't believe it was actually Santa!"

Kate looked over at her partner, as they made their way through the lobby of the 12th to her sedan parked on at the curb. He was still shaking his head in disbelief. There were six days before Christmas and they had just closed their final case before Kate started her week long vacation. Elves had been turning up dead all over the city. In the end, it came out that Chris Cringle, the head Santa of a rent-a-Santa company had changed his name from John Murphy years before to cover up his past convictions of child molestation. The elves had found out and had proceeded to blackmail him until he had had enough and decided to just kill them all.

"I hate fake Santas. Always have," she stated in reply. "I refused to sit on his lap as a kid after I figured out that Santa wasn't real. Just the idea of sitting on some stranger's lap creeped me out. Our kids will never go near a mall Santa."

Castle's laughter died as he froze on the sidewalk and stared at her. Kate looked back over her should to find him standing motionless yards behind her. "What's wrong, Castle?"

"You said our kids would never sit on Santa's lap."

Kate stared at him, confused. "Yeah, so? After this do you really think it would be a good idea?"

"Kate, you said _our_ kids. You want to have kids with me?"

It was Kate's turn to freeze as her eyes grew to twice their normal size. She had just said that, hadn't she? "Yeah, I guess I do."

She let out a squeal as Castle lunged at her and picked her up to spin around in a circle.

"Castle, put me down!"

"Come on," he said as her feet hit the ground once more and he grabbed her hand effectively dragging her the last few feet to the car.

"Where are we going?" She asked as she struggled to dig out her keys and hit the unlock button with her free hand.

"Home," he replied. "There is a very comfortable bed waiting there for us."

Kate let out a shocked laugh, "When I said I wanted kids with you, I didn't mean now."

"I know," he responded, pulling her in for a kiss. "That doesn't mean we can't practice, though."

Kate smiled up at him as his lips brushed over hers. "I like practicing."

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><p>Kate ran her hand lazily through Rick's hair as he lay, cradled between her legs, with his head on her belly. He let out a content sigh and she shivered as his breath made its way though the thin barrier of the sheet to her naked skin underneath. She pulled her hand back through his hair and grinned softly as it stuck up at jagged angles. He looked like a little kid when she did that. It was cute. Her other arm curled under her head, propping it up, as she stared down at him, meeting his bright blue eyes with hers.<p>

"Hi."

"Hey," he replied quietly as he ran his hands up her thighs, bringing them under his chin allowing him to look up at her more easily.

"My Kate," he mumbled softly and her hand stilled as she raised a single eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me? I'm you're what?"

Castle chuckled softly. "Not like that. I know better than to try to possess you and you're feminist ideals."

She brought her hand down to flick his ear lightly and bit her lip to suppress a smile as he growled in indignation.

"I simply meant that…" Castle paused, trying to find a way to explain. "No, there is a story I need to tell you for this to make sense."

He wiggled his boxer-clad hips a little bit, snuggling deeper into the bed. Adjusting his arms across her stomach, he effectively propped up his head in a more comfortable position.

Kate laughed at the process, her belly shaking underneath him. "You better now?"

"Much."

"Ready to tell me that story?"

"Story? Oh, yeah. Well, once upon a time, there was a ruggedly handsome young man named Rick."

"Ruggedly handsome, really?" Kate interrupted, her eyebrow quirked in emphasis of her skepticism.

"Yes, ruggedly handsome. Now, hush, you're ruining the story magic that I am weaving. So, where was I? Oh, yes, Rick had just published his first book and had decided to visit his favorite comic book store to celebrate his recent success."

"Ugh, I don't believe this," Kate groaned as her hand left Rick's head to run it over her eyes.

Castle glared up at her for a minute and she crinkled her nose at him in response. "As I was saying, before I was once again rudely interrupted, at this store— a magical shop named Comicadia— he came across the boy who worked the counter. His name was Jimmy… Jimmy something or other, I forget his last name, and Jimmy was head over heels in love with this girl. Now, Rick had seen the girl on this particular day. He remembered her because she had bought his book."

Kate's brow furrowed as she listened to the story. _Wait…_

"This particular day, Rick tried to talk Jimmy out of his crush. The girl was gawky, awkward: braces, acne, flat as a pancake. But Jimmy told Rick how much he was in love with her. He thought she was the center of the world. He called her extraordinary and coincidentally, her name was Kate. So, therefore, my dear Katherine, you are my Kate because you are the center of my world and you are extraordinary."

He looked up at her, expecting to be met with an eye roll at his sappy story only to find her staring at the wall behind him with a soft smile on her face.

"Jimmy Collins."

"What?" Castle's confusion continued to grow with her grin.

"Jimmy Collins was the name of the kid that worked at Comicadia."

Castle lifted his head to get a better view of her face. "How do you know that?"

"I was that girl. Jimmy's Kate." Kate said through her grin.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I am so serious. I bought _A Rose for Ever After_ from Comicadia when I was fifteen. Jimmy Collins was my friend and he worked there."

Castle stared up at her. _No way. _"Wow… that is amazing."

He continued to stare up at her and it was Kate's turn to squirm. "What?"

"I am just so happy that you pulled an ugly duckling," he laughed up at her.

Kate propped herself up on her elbows as her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. "I know I had a decently bad awkward phase, but are you telling me that you wouldn't love me if I weren't pretty?"

Rick's laughter died in his throat. _Uh oh. _"No, no that's not what I am saying. I am simply saying… umm…"

Kate continued to stare down at him, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

"I love you and you're beautiful inside and out?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh. He looked so cute when he floundering.

"Uh huh, sure."

"I was young and stupid and I didn't understand that people were more than their looks. Forgive me, Kate, please. I would love you even if you were still lanky and awkward."

Kate chuckled again as she tugged on his hair forcing him to crawl up her body. She sighed as his weight pressed down on her and her knees came up to cradle him.

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Castle drew his lips away from hers a minute later and snuggled down to lay his head against her chest.

"So, did Jimmy Collins ever end up asking you out?"

"Nope. He never did. He fell for someone else. Actually, I never even new that he liked me, until now, that is." Kate smiled as she pressed a kiss to his head.

"Really? That's weird. He was seriously crushing on you." Castle paused, digging through his memory for details of that day. "It wasn't Madison, was it?"

Kate laughter vibrated through her chest and up into his body. "No, it wasn't Madison. It was Rich Jennings."

"Rich?" Castle lifted his head again, startled. "As in Richard?"

Kate nodded in confirmation. "Yup. Jimmy came out when he was seventeen and I was sixteen. He's still one of my best friends, you know. He was at my birthday dinner this year."

Castle's brow furrowed. He would have remembered that. "He was?"

"Yeah, you remember: Jace and Rich. Jimmy got tired of the "little boy name" and started to go by JC about the time he came out. JC eventually got shortened to Jace when he started working on Broadway. He and Rich have been together since high school. Sixteen years," Kate stated, matter of fact.

"Jace. Oh, yeah. Wow, that's Jimmy? He definitely pulled an ugly duckling of his own. Good to know he finally grew into his ears. Ow!" Castle brought his hand up to rub his ear that Kate had just flicked for the second time. Giving her an indignant look as he did. "Well, at least I now know why he was looking at me weird all night."

Kate laughed too, "Yeah, that does explain a couple of things."

"Small world, huh?"

Kate hummed in agreement before she let out another content sigh and ran her hand through his hair once more. "Come on, we need to get some sleep. Alexis will be here bright and early to go skating. Trust me, she's excited."

"Oh, I know. She has always loved ice-skating," Castle replied. His hand splayed over her hip as he rolled off of her and onto the sinfully comfortable mattress. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as his previous position, though. "Oh, did you ever hear back from your Dad? Will he be here for Christmas dinner?"

"Yep, he and Sherry will be here."

"Sherry, really? Is it getting serious?" Rick brought his eyes up to look into hers. He knew her father dating was a tender subject.

"Apparently," Kate replied and rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes at his unasked question. "It's been fourteen years, Castle. I'm okay with my Dad dating. He deserves to be happy."

Rick smiled as he brought a hand up to cradle her face, guiding her face down towards his, gently brushing his lips against hers. "Yeah, he does. You both do."

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><p>Castle watched Kate and his daughter glide over the ice, holding hands, as to not lose each other, as they talked and laughed their way around the crowded rink.<p>

"_Daddy! Daddy, watch me!" _ _Alexis yelled as_ _she whizzed past him again, gliding effortlessly around the large rink. _

_Rick watched his daughter and laughed. He couldn't believe it was her first time ice-skating. Alexis wobbled a little bit as she attempted a twirl, but landed with grace, her hands up in the air as she posed. Meredith had just left a couple months before and it was nice to see Alexis smiling and laughing again. _

"_Daddy, come skate with me!" Five year-old Alexis called out to him. _

_Rick pushed himself off of the wall and made his way through the thin crowd of people to his daughter. Pulling up beside her he reached out and grabbed her hand, twirling her around him, her giggles brightening the world around them. Wiggling her fingers from his she took off and he skated after her as she raced around the rink singing the wrong words to Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer as her red head bobbed to the beat._

"_Daddy, sing with me. Please?" Rick laughed as his daughter slowed down and took his hand in her mitten covered one once more._

_As they made their way around the rink, singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs, Rick knew he could do this. He could raise Alexis on his own._

Rick shook his head as he snapped back to the present. Even though NYU was only minutes away, it seemed like he never got to see his daughter anymore since she had decided to spend her freshman year living in the dorms. Of course, she was still over at the loft all the time, but it wasn't the same. His little girl was growing up.

His eyes scanned the feet of the people passing him, looking for Kate's lime green skates. He shook his head again as he let out a small laugh. He couldn't believe she still had them. She had told him she had gotten them when she was twenty and that they were the most awesome skates she had ever owned. He believed she had actually called them "rock star" skates. Whatever that meant. For some reason, she loved the God awful ugly things. Pierre, his shoe guy, had even commented on them when he had brought all of their skates to be sharpened a few weeks before. Castle had to admit, though, as he saw a streak of florescent green fly past him, they were easy to spot in a crowd.

Castle pushed off of the wall and tapped Kate on the shoulder as he skated up behind his two women.

"May I cut in?"

Kate smiled up at him for a minute before pulling her and Alexis's joined hands up to place the girl's hand in his. "Of course, I will be over on the benches."

Rick watched as Kate skated off, allowing him his much needed father-daughter time. Somehow, she always just knew.

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><p>"Oh man, those are awesome skates!"<p>

Kate looked up from her place seated on the wooden bench, where she was attempting to take off her skates, to see woman in her early twenties, with curly brown hair and mocha skin, wearing a Columbia sweatshirt standing above her.

Kate smiled up at her. "Thanks. I love them but most others don't seem to appreciate their awesomeness."

"Well, when I was a kid I bounced around in foster care for a while and one year I got these roller skates for Christmas. It was the best Christmas- I got this giant pile of presents. And the skates were bright green just like those. I loved them, called them my lucky skates. I wore them all the time- in the apartment, in the hallways on the sidewalks. My parents and all the neighbors wanted to kill me, but I refused to take them off. They gave me hope; someone I didn't even know gave them to me. I wore them until I couldn't fit my feet into them anymore. In the end they were held together by duct tape." The girl paused and laughed as Kate stared up at her in wonder.

"I remember I was wearing them when my foster parents told me they wanted to adopt me. That's why they were lucky. Anyway, sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on like that, I just wanted to tell you that I like your skates."

"Oh, it's no problem," Kate paused for a moment, her hands halfway through untying her laces. "You go to Columbia?"

"Yes ma'am. One semester to go until I graduate with my degree in social work."

Kate smiled at her again. "Congratulations. It's a noble profession."

The young woman nodded. "A social worker saved my life. I just want the chance to pass it on."

"Hey, you coming?"

Both Kate and the other woman turned their heads as another girl called out.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," the young woman responded before turning back to Kate. "I gotta go. It was nice talking to you…"

"Oh, um, Kate."

"Kate. I'm Sophia. It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Kate whispered, hands still motionless on her foot, as she stared up at the other woman. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Sophia called over her shoulder as she teetered over to her group of friends on her skates.

Kate continued to stare over at the other woman long after the group of co-eds made their way onto the ice and Castle plopped down on the bench beside her, his cheeks red from the cold.

"Hey, what's up?" Castle bumped his shoulder into hers, effectively dragging her out of her daze.

"Oh, um, what?"

Rick laughed as he tugged her foot into his lap, continuing to undo the laces on her skate from where she left off. "You were completely zoned out. I called your name like five times."

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about how small the world really is." Kate smiled softly. "You guys ready to go?"

Castle nodded as he popped the skate off of her foot and tugged her other foot up into his lap to begin working on those laces. "Yep, we still have a bunch of shopping to do."

Kate put her hands on the bench behind her, bracing herself, as she looked at the man sitting in front of her. She studied his blue eyes, the slight crinkles that had grown on his forehead and decorated the corner of his eyes. He had a slight stubble on his cheeks again. His lips pursed slightly as he growled in frustration at the stubborn knot in the lace.

"I love you, you know."

He looked over at her with a smile; his hands paused to lay flat against the bright green leather of her skate. "I love you too, always."

"Forever."

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><p>Fin.<p>

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><p>Preview: Four Letter Words<p>

Picks up where Six Levels of Hell leaves off.

Love. Hate. Will. Won't. Can't. Hope. Cure. Hurt. Want. Need. Fail. Rise. Fall. Move. Stay. Come. Gone. Feel. Past. Still. Hide. Face. Pass. Bled. Heal. Help. Once. Open. Shut. Wall. Lock. Pick. Near. Away. Push. Pull. Okay. Fine. Save. Rick. Kate.


End file.
